We have quite a bit of standing water on the farm: two ponds, rain barrels, and animal troughs. A lot of water makes for a lot of mosquitoes. In order to control the mosquito population, we’ve had success with using Bti.
What is Bti?
Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelesis. It’s a naturally occurring bacteria that wreaks havoc on the aquatic mosquito larvae.
How does it work?
Well, when a male mosquito and a female mosquito fall in love and decide to start a family, they lay their eggs in water. They start dreaming of a bright future for their young. They paint their little mosquito nurseries, get all their mosquito onesies cleaned and folded just so, and even begin little mosquito college funds. They scope out the humans nearby and envision all the blood within them that their precious mosquito babies will suck. Everything in Mosquito Land seems promising and bright.
Stop it, Mary. Seriously, how does it work?
Okay. I’ll stop. We keep standing water around our property for mosquitos to lay in…on purpose. The water is shaded and provides perfect places for mosquitoes to lay…and for us to kill. We place mosquito dunks in each body of water. The dunks float on the surface of the water, releasing the bacteria and dissolving slowing to ensure the Bti lasts for about a month. As the mosquitoes develop in the water, the mosquito larvae encounter and consume the bacterial spores and eventually can’t digest food, so they die. A tragedy for the hopeful mosquito parents. A win for us.
Is Bti safe?
Not for baby mosquitoes, it’s not! Used as directed, though, it’s perfectly harmless for humans, animals, and even honeybees!